cease-fire violations by azeris

[Yervant1]

Information Security Expert: Azerbaijan carries out strong propaganda
against Armenians

11:44, 10 May, 2016

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Information Security Expert Samvel
Martirosyan says Azerbaijani authorities continue to block all
possible information about their causalities. “Azerbaijani authorities
have a problem of keeping the sentiments of April events in a positive
context within their public. We see that they block all the possible
sources of information. For instance, they announce that the
information on causalities is a secret. In fact, there is a ban on
releasing such information. Moreover, they carry out a strong
propaganda against Armenians as a nation trying to keep the aggressive
tone”, Samvel Martirosyan said.

“Meydan TV” released information on the Azerbaijani causalities,
however, Samvel Martorosyan says these kind of talks and publications
are viewed as a betrayal of the nation in Azerbaijan, and their people
prefer not to write about it. As a result, the state only provides
information about their causalities which is still within the field of
30.

Referring to the existing developments related to May 9 in the
information fields, Samvel Martirosyan says in general we see
inactivity. The main emphasis was based on the idea of restarting the
military operations during holidays.

“There were talks within our public that Azerbaijan may restart the
military operations on May 8-9. They have selected that idea as a
target, and were constantly circulating that talks. It can be seen
from the statement by Azerbaijani Defense Ministry that they want to
do something so that Armenians will wait a war since expectation of
death is cruel that death. This has been the main propaganda thesis in
the last ten days, they work on it”, Samvel Martirosyan added.

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[Yervant1]

Details about the subversive photographed with Sloyan’s head: he was a
nationalist from “Gray Wolves”

May 10 2016

As we had reported earlier, according to Alain Ghulyan’s “Facebook”
information, one of the Azerbaijani subversives, Akhundov Abdulmejid,
who decapitated Artsakh army soldier, ethnic Yezidi Kyaram Sloyan was
destroyed by Armenian forces during the days of war in April.

Aravot.am asked Ashot Movsisyan, an expert of Azerbaijani studies,
whether there is information about the said soldier in the press and
social networks. “Abdulmejid Akhundov, an Azerbaijani army soldier
conscripted from the city of Sumgayit was killed during the four-day
war when penetrating to a territory under the control of Armenian
forces, therefore, his corpse is on the Armenian side. During the
exchange of corpses under the mediation of ICRC, the latter’s corpse
was handed over to the Azerbaijani side. There were no signs of
torture on any corpse transferred to Azerbaijani side, including on
this soldier,” said Ashot Movsisyan.

As it was mentioned, in the photo, Abdulmejid Akhundov was showing the
famous gesture of fingers of Turkish “Grey Wolves” organization. “The
murdered soldier shows the sign of “Grey Wolves” terrorist
organization which symbolizes the head of a wolf. The wolf is
considered the totem of Turkic tribes,” explained Movsisyan, adding
that the “Grey Wolves” is a Turkish nationalist left-wing
organization, “After the collapse of the Soviet Union, during the
tenure of the second President of Azerbaijan, Abulfaz Elchibey, the
Turkish nationalist movement began very active in Azerbaijan and
participated also in the Artsakh war.

Today, the ideology of the “Grey Wolves” movements is widely spread
among the Azeri community. The Armenian identity has become a joint
target of Azerbaijani and Turkish nationalism, hence the private under
the ideological influence of “Grey Wolves”, certainly, exists in the
Azeri army. All this is done with the permission of the Azerbaijani
authorities. Certainly, Turkey is also cajoled by this.” Our
interlocutor said that the anti-Armenianism propagated in Azerbaijan
for 25 years and the consequences of hatred towards Armenians
“delivered” to Azerbaijani children since the cradle are more than
obvious today, “Torturing the corpse of an Armenian is perceived by
Azerbaijani nationalists as a sign of bravery and heroism, and this is
also supported by the country’s leadership. The evidences are many:
Ramil Safarov, Ibad Huseynov … The atrocities committed during the
recent hostilities showed that this wave is intensified. Indeed, the
torturing of the bodies of the soldiers of the Armenian Army is a
deliberate step and the appearances therefor in the social networks is
not accidental. Thus, first of all, an attempt is made to create an
atmosphere of fear among the Armenian society and Armenian soldiers.
Therewith, Baku is trying to create a problem for us too. According to
them, the parents living in Armenia seeing all this must do everything
that their children do not serve the army in Nagorno-Karabakh, which I
think is a failed plan.

In addition, therewith, Baku is trying to create new “heroes” for its
domestic audience in the face of these executioners.” We asked
Movsisyan to describe the rejoice of such ferocity and civilization in
making it a heroism, “Definitely, this proved that it is not enough to
tell the world that the militants of the “Islamic State” are
terrorists as they are killing civilians and decapitate the captives,
both military and civilian. We witnessed that our enemy is moving
ahead exactly in the same way, for which decapitating a soldier is a
heroism. For us, this is not the handwriting of “IS” but Baku’s. When
once such atrocities were carried out against Armenians in Azerbaijan,
the “IS” was not existing,” concluded Ashot Movsisyan.

Luiza SUKIASYAN
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[Yervant1]

Karabakh working on new methods of fighting drones: Army chief

May 10, 2016 - 11:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Heavy fighting in and around Nagorno Karabakh is
unlikely to resume soon, a commander of Karabakh’s Defense Army said
on Monday, May 9, RFE/RL Armenian Service reports.

“The tension [on the frontlines] will not rise,” Lieutenant-General
Levon Mnatsakanyan told reporters in Stepanakert. “We have actually
registered a decrease.”

Mnatsakanyan said the Azerbaijani army has adopted a defensive stance
after launching offensive operations on April 2 at several sections of
the line of contact with Karabakh.

“They are now organizing defense,” he said. “There is an atmosphere of
fear on their side.”

“Our forces are now on high alert and will fight back if need be,”
added the Defense Army chief.

The Karabakh army reported last week a build-up and active movements
of enemy troops at various sections of the frontline. Armenia’s
Defense Ministry likewise said that Baku deployed more troops and
military hardware there.

Mnatsakanyan, however, downplayed the reported buildup, saying that
his troops are prepared for any development.

Further commenting on the four-day military clashes in early April,
Mnatsakanyan said the Armenian troops downed the Azerbaijani drones
with firearms and machine guns.

“Also, several UAVs were destroyed with air defense systems,” he told
an interview on Armenia TV.

According to the military chief, the Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army is
currently working on new anti-drone solutions. The new methods, as
Mnatsakanyan says, will make the Armenian side’s objectives more
resistant against the rival’s UAVs.

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[Yervant1]

Azerbaijan’s losses exceed 800: OSTKRAFT

17:37, 06 May 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The losses of the Azerbaijani side in the recent clashed along the
Nagorno Karabakh line of contact are estimated to exceed 800, OSTKRAFT
analytical center reports, quoting sources at the Azerbaijani General
Staff.

According to the report, it was the great number of losses that made
Azerbaijan stop the aggression and return to the negotiating table.

“Judging from this data, the words of Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia
about the readiness of his country to solve the Karabakh issue in a
military way look deeply untenable, as Azerbaijan has neither power,
not means for that,” the analysis says.

According to the report, the only thing Azerbaijan provoked with its
unreasonable actions is the possible recognition of Nagorno Karabakh
by Armenia.

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[Yervant1]

Four-day war in Karabakh shows necessity of developing its own military industry

YEREVAN, May 10. /ARKA/. The recent four-day war in Karabakh came as a
very important impetus to Armenia for revising its strategy and
strengthening its security, what first of all is due to development of
its economy, Vardan Bostanjyan, an economist, told journalists on
Tuesday.

«In those days our economy got in a complicated situation, but this
showed us the importance of a task-oriented economic development,
first of all the necessity to strengthen our security,» he said. «In
this context, we should make every effort to develop an import
substitution plan for our military industry, which will help us to
solve security problems.»

In his words, Armenia is rich in specialists, and it was well-known
for its specialists yet in Soviet epoch.

On April 2, 2016 Azerbaijan launched military assaults along the
entire perimeter of its contact line with Nagorno Karabakh. -0----

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[Yervant1]

Artsakh Artillery Commander: ‘I’d like powerful and precise long-range guns’

Edik Baghdasaryan


11:38, May 11, 2016

The artillery of the Artsakh Defense Army played a pivotal role in
repulsing Azerbaijani military forces in the latest round of fighting
along the Line of Contact. Hetq talks to Colonel Genady Baghdasaryan,
who commands the artillery, about the four-day war and the tactics
involved. Baghdasaryan was recently awarded the Military Cross First
Class.

Colonel Baghdasaryan, let’s talk about the outbreak of the fighting.
Was the Azerbaijani offensive expected?

The assault was unexpected. But the artillery has always been ready,
even from the first day of the ceasefire declaration.

Has the role of the artillery changed from the first Artsakh War? The
artillery didn’t play that much of a role in the first war.

The role of the artillery, then and now, hasn’t changed in nature.
It’s just that back then we didn’t have as much weaponry as today.
Thus, one cannot compare what the artillery achieved in the first war
with today.

What was the role of the artillery in stopping the advance of the
opponent in this latest round of fighting?

The artillery inflicted severe casualties on the opponent, forcing it
to refrain from further military actions. The number of the opponent’s
losses was great and their commanders realized that further operations
wouldn’t be successful. I believe their rank and file troops refused
to fight and that panic had set in.

How did you become an artillery soldier?

I was seventeen and really wanted to serve in the army. I heard that
General Ivanyan was recruiting young guys to train as artillerymen. To
be honest, I didn’t even know what was involved. But I wanted to
serve. So I went and applied. They accepted me. I was taken to the
fourth defense region. It was the close of 1993. We had suffered many
casualties. I was introduced to a lieutenant and trained with him for
four days. They also trained be to serve in a reconnaissance unit.

What lessons have you learned from the April four-day war as an
artillery commander?

The first thing is that the opponent is vile and capable of anything.
One must never believe anything they say. Secondly, one must always be
ready and we must only depend on our resources. Finally, as General
Ivanyan used to tell us, we must always train.

Do you believe Azerbaijan will resume military operations?

Let me put it this way, they have the manpower and the weaponry to do
so. But the decision will not be theirs. They will be prompted by
their allies. In any event, we are ready.

Are you satisfied with the actions of the men under your command?

Without a doubt. They have performed that which is demanded of them.
Sure, there are certainshortcomings and we are working to fix them.

The opponent threw many tanks into the battle. Did they achieve anything?

Of course not. If they had a normal army and staff, they should have
infiltrated a great distance so that the infantry could follow. After
22 years of preparation, of spending all that money, and launching an
offensive against 18 year-olds, all they could do was capture a few
posts. It’s ridiculous.

Some are saying that the army isn’t well equipped and that it doesn’t
have long-range weaponry. What’s the situation in the artillery?

Sure, we have such weapons. Everything is relative. Naturally, if we
compare our weaponry to that of the U.S. or Russia, we’re at a loss.
But if we compare what we have to countries similar to us, then we are
ahead of many of them.

What if we compare ourselves to the opponent?

Yes, we lag in certain areas, but it has no essential significance. It
takes intelligent soldiers and officers to get the most out of the
weapons at hand. Azerbaijan doesn’t have such personnel. The latest
round of fighting proved this yet again.

As an artilleryman, what weaponry would you like to have.

More long-range equipment; more powerful and precise weapons.

Why don’t you have such weapons now?

We will. We’ll have everything.

Top photo (left) – Colonel Genady Baghdasaryan

Artsakh Artillery Commander: ‘I’d like powerful and precise long-range guns’

Edik Baghdasaryan

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[Yervant1]

MFA: If new war breaks out, many countries will recognize Karabakh independence

15:40, 11.05.2016

Karen Mirzoyan, Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Minister of
Foreign Affairs, spoke toefsyn.gr newspaper of Greece. Below is an
abridged version of this interview.

How did the last war begin?

There is a ceasefire agreement for 22 years already, but there have
always been attacks (…) by the Azerbaijanis during these 22 years (…)
Azerbaijan created conditions for the resumption of war for years.

And Azerbaijan’s attack on April 2 against Artsakh was not only an
attack against our country, but against the peace efforts by the
[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)] Minsk
Group. Azerbaijan’s actions are a threat to world peace and regional
stability.

Why did they start the war right now?

It [i.e. Azerbaijan] faces numerous problems both inside and on the
international scene; this was a one-way street for them.

Has the decline in prices of oil and [natural] gas played a role here (…)?

The leadership and president of Azerbaijan do not want to see a
solution to the problem by way of diplomacy and negotiations. (…) We
are confident that Baku will continue on the path of war.

Nonetheless, Turkey encourages Baku (…)[?]

For years Turkey arms and trains the Azerbaijani army, whose objective is war.

They [i.e. Russia] have also sold weapons to Baku [?]

We are concerned that Russia sells weapons to Azerbaijan, but it sells
weapons to Armenia as well. (…) But unless the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is resolved by diplomatic and peaceful means, arms will be
sold by various countries.

What solution can the Nagorno-Karabakh problem have?

The solution will be easier if the peoples of the region move forward
on the road of democracy, and the governments of the countries have
the people’s mandate.

We believe in democracy and the sovereignty of nations; also, in the
sovereignty of the Artsakh people, who have the right to
self-determination, which they achieved democratically.

Two MPs of the Parliament of Armenia have raised the issue of
recognition of Karabakh’s independence. Is this a kind of pressure
(…)?

If Azerbaijan attacks again, this will put an end to the peace process
within the framework of the Minsk Group, and to the diplomatic
resolution of this issue. (…) Needless to say, if a new war breaks
out, not only Armenia, but many other countries will recognize Artsakh
as an independent state.

But the trend of the rise in the number of small countries in the
world worries many European countries [?].

It is wrong to draw parallels between Karabakh and Kosovo, or Cyprus.
(…) Those who argue that there are similarities, do not wish to solve
the problem. Problems are not solved by means of weapons and
dominance, but democratic, free expression of the will of the peoples.

Are you not concerned that in recent years Azerbaijan updates its
arsenal by using the funds received from the export of oil and gas to
Europe? Could this impact your relations with some [European]
countries, including Greece?

Oil ultimately will end sooner or later, whereas friendly relations
between the Armenian and Greek peoples have a long history and have
nothing to do with temporary things such as oil.

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[Yervant1]

Haunting photos show the devastation of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ongoing
conflict: The Washington Post

18:27, 11 May 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Photos by Anush Babajanyan


The Washington Post – Anush Babajanyan, a photojournalist from Armenia
and a member of the 4Plus collective, traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh by
minibus to cover the conflict during the recent escalation.

She found a soldier returning to war on the bus as well as families
who were forced to leave, frustrated and scared.

“The people expected the military to hit military posts, not a
village” says Babajanyan. “There is no question that these people will
fight for their land.”

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[Yervant1]

Defense Ministry spokesman responds to Azerbaijani allegations of
white phosphorus usage: Azerbaijan is in an ill-mannered delusion

May 11, 2016 12:15

Spokesman of the Defense Ministry of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan says
the Azerbaijani allegations of white phosphorus usage by Armenian
Forces are “ill-mannered delusions”.

STEPANAKERT, MAY 11, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: “A few words regarding
the white phosphorus: Azerbaijan is in an ill-mannered delusion. But
we understand this type of behavior. The saying is correct: “Fear has
big eyes. They see even what’s not present” (У страха глаза велики:
чего нет, и то видят),”Hovhannisyan wrote via Facebook.

Earlier the Azerbaijani side made false allegations that the Armenian
side used white phosphorus munitions (banned) in the direction of
Terter.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__artsakhpress.am_eng_news_44337_defense-2Dministry-2Dspokesman-2Dresponds-2Dto-2Dazerbaijani-2Dallegations-2Dof-2Dwhite-2Dphosphorus-2Dusage-2Dazerbaijan-2Dis-2Din-2Dan-2Dill-2Dmannered-2Ddelusion.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=ckAm1NPK6EZGhRfo7-x4GUbunrXqen4AmlvZNGYQb44&s=sxRO8JFYrhM6fnBufTybHH3KiHX8S141DukEtkZT9Aw&e=

[Yervant1]

VT exclusive report on Azeri-Armenia war – Damage and atrocities

Veterans Today

 

 

By Jim W. Dean, Managing Editor on May 10, 2016

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Shelling of Nagorno-Karabakh villages

… by Alla Pierce, VT international correspondent

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Alla at the front

[ Editor’s note: Alla Pierce is back with another addition to her war correspondent portfolio in a land that most Westerners did not know even existed, tucked away between Armenia and Azerbaijan with its long running ethnic dispute.

This is a land were DNA can go back thousands of years for families in a particular valley. It creates a connection to the land that is hard for Americans to relate to, with our relatively short history and mostly European roots, something that has been changing fast, as our melting pot legacy continues to add new ingredients.

Sadly, the only thing good we can say about the broken ceasefire is that it is better than full scale war. The provocations and counter shelling continue to gouge open sores in the land because one side wants to keep tensions high. Peacekeepers were never agreed to after the last war, so we outsiders have heard only charges and counter charges as to who fired first.

But my gut feeling is that Azerbaijan cranked this up now as a classic domestic diversion from the low oil prices, especially for a small country where the black gold exports pay for a big chunk of public services. Leaders historically have sought a scapegoat to focus public anger on.

As Turkey’s economic boom began to taper off, Erdogan cranked up his war with the Kurdish opposition after many years of relative quiet in their region of the country. Erdogan was quick to support the Azeri’s desire to retake Nagorno-Karabakh, thinking that more mayhem in the region would benefit him somehow.

The New Sultan has become NATO’s bull in a china closet, with Turkish mercenaries in Ukraine now working to support Tatar incitement in Crimea as payback for Russia upsetting Erdo’s anticipation of helping to carve up Syria. I am afraid we will see much more death and destruction before all of this is eventually settled… Jim W. Dean ]

_________

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All is not quiet on the Eastern front of Nagorno-Karabakh

Before my trip to Nagorno-Karabakh, I contacted Aram Khachaturyan, a public figure, journalist, deputy chairman of the “Center of Support of the Russian-Armenian Strategic and Community Initiatives”, and chief editor of the Center’s newspaper russia-armenia.info to get a background briefing on this little known corner of the world.

“This area has such a remarkable aura about itself,” he said. “This is a very ancient land and very unique! Those who have been in Nagorno-Karabakh, would always want to come back. They will end up leaving their hearts here.”

To assist me with my assignment, Aram introduced me to Arsen Melik-Shakhnazarov, the Deputy Representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in Russia, a journalist, writer and connoisseur of history about the Karabakh region and an astute observer of the latest events.

Upon meeting the NKR Representation in Moscow I received all the contact information that he had prepared for me. This hastily done trip had a lot of helping hands for which VT and I are most grateful to bring an on scene report.

After arriving in Yerevan, I called the NKR Representation in Armenia, where they helped with accommodations and and transportation in Stepanakert (the capital of NKR) for the duration of my visit. In general, I received a warm reception from The Consul and all whom I encountered.

I arrived at night In Stepanakert, surviving the rugged trip through the perilous mountainous terrain, but I must say this is a panoramic country with great tourist potential if there can ever be peace there. The next day, while accompanied by Armen Sargsyan, the Head of Information Management, we visited the villages I had asked to see that had been subjected to shelling.

In the village of Martakert we were met by the Deputy Mayor, and together we inspected the destruction caused by the bombardment. The houses were almost completely restored. People whose houses and belongings were damaged by the attacks, received compensation for everything, including furniture and appliances.

An old man named Gurgen, described how a shell scored a direct hit on his home. Now repairs are under way and the neighbors are actively helping with this process. A woman from another house, which was also shelled, told us that she and her daughter had to seek refuge at a neighbor’s house. Her sons fled to her elderly parents’ home.

Sympathetic reciprocity, the ability to feel somebody’s misfortune as one’s own and the government’s assistance – all deserve commendation and respect.

_________

Talish Village

Our next stop was the village of Talish where we came upon a car which appeared to have been involved in a minor collision. It turned out it belonged to the head of the village administration. He spoke of how on the night of April 2nd, the Azerbaijanis opened fire. “It was my birthday – he said sadly – what a bitter ‘gift’ I got!”

It was the village of Talish where the tragedy occurred that has forced the world community once again to shudder. Three old people who lived in a house, which is located away from the village, were murdered by an Azerbaijani subversive group. Their son had hurried that night to transfer them to a safer place. Sadly, in this tragic twist of fate, he was too late…

As with all tragic stories, rumors emerged that it was actually women who committed the murders. I also read in some of the Western press that the village had exchanged hands during the conflict. But my brief investigation into the death of the elderly in Talish revealed that the village was indeed shelled but was never taken by the Azerbaijanis. The subversive group had entered the village but all their members were killed before they could carry out further acts of carnage and murder.

They did however kill three people: a husband and his wife and a 92-year-old mother. On top of this outrage, they mutilated the corpses of their helpless victims, such as, amongst other things, slicing off their ears.

“It is surprising – I was told that they did it right away. Previously, people had been held as hostages and tortured, but there was no mutilation of the corpses immediately after the murder.”

It seems like they tried to leave their own signature, and this gave rise to the popular belief that this war was perpetrated by radical Islamists. The village is located close to the border, and furthermore we were not allowed to drive on some of the streets because it was too dangerous.

I saw what can be described as dead houses, where entire sections of this village had been destroyed in the previous war. The spectacle of these abandoned houses with their empty eye sockets where former owners once gazed out across their beautiful village produced feelings of sadness and despair inside of me.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/banner-background-insert.jpg

In war, not only people get killed, but also whole cities get murdered and the land itself is burned to ashes…. “How many years will pass before the land can give birth again? Nothing grows on the scorched soil; … ”

“The land also has a soul. It feels affection and hate,” – such were the words I heard in conversations with residents of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Not far from this ruined, rocketed fence was a dead pig with its insides torn out on one side. I gasped in horror and turned away. “Wait,” said the driver, who was beautifully named “Ararat” and who treated me with lots of care. “It’s just a pig.”

“It was alive – I answered – and the trees, and houses -they all were alive, you understand?” The driver shook his head and replied, “You have the wrong heart for a journalist.”

Here I cannot argue. I am trying to keep my heart cold, but my emotions are misplaced after what I saw in Donbass and Nagorno-Karabakh. Traces of the last war are everywhere. They are in destroyed homes and in the hearts and memory of the people. A new war has brought new destruction upon them.

The people of Karabakh are hardworking people. They love their land and tend to it with utmost care. Since they declared their independence, new industries began to develop here, which spurred economic growth of the region to a higher level.

The spirit of this nation is exceptionally high. The first Karabakh war was relatively recent, and every man with whom I spoke, went through the process of being a protagonist in conflict. From a humble shopkeeper, an attendant at the hotel, a famous sculptor and writer, or just a passer-by – they all fought for this land.

Some were injured and others were lucky and had emerged unscathed, but they all suffered for their human rights and dignity for the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“How are you doing,” I asked all the women. “Are you scared? Your children, husbands can be killed any time …”And I heard a common reply from these brave women: “If necessary, we ourselves will go to defend our land.”

Regardless of the fact that any war is very scary. Some of women told me in confidential conversations how they stopped sleeping, or how they started losing their hair out of constant tension. Children suffered very similar symptoms. Their spirit of patriotism is growing very high, but they are still children.

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Martakert damage

The well known Karabakh writer, Ashot Beglaryan, told me how he heard the sound of exploding shells and went to check his youngest son, “to cover him with a blanket,” but the boy was awake. What it was, he asked. And his father – a good soul – said it was fireworks somewhere. He told me this story, and we both were smiling at the fact that Dad could not make up a story more creative than “fireworks”.

His child skeptically answered that there no fireworks, but shootings somewhere. We shared a laugh at the clumsy attempt of Dad to protect his child from the fear of war, but in fact there was nothing funny that children, young children, know that if there’s something that makes such a loud noise it is a “shooting”, and unfortunately not fireworks.

Thus, this is part of the tragedy of living under the constant threat of war and the incitement of this periodic, but particularly hot phase of the conflict.

We visited Talish, Martakert and Madagiz and wished them all peace. The very following day the Azerbaijani side was shooting from “Grad” artillery batteries along the perimeter of the front line and directly into the peaceful settlements, including these villages – Talish, Martakert and Madagiz.

In the comments section of my previous report from NKR was a rebuke in the fomenting of Islamophobia by VT. During a few days of my trip, my team worked hand in hand with a Chechen journalist, who is a Muslim, of course. We were also accompanied by Orthodox Armenians. I am not a religious person and consider faith a purely personal affair. So, we had plenty of diverse people from different religious views operating within our group.

But we all wanted the same thing — peace for all people; life without tears for mothers and children; and for all soldiers to return from military service healthy and happy instead of being violently reduced to beheaded corpses; and for old people to live out their lives naturally and die of old age with nobody mistreating their dead bodies.

We wish for people to live in their homes, rather than hunkered down with neighbors. The people of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are not at war against Islam, but only standing for the sanctity of their lives and for their land.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/05/10/vt-exclusive-report-on-azeri-armenia-war-damage-and-atrocities/

[Yervant1]

Azerbaijan violates the ceasefire hours after OSCE monitoring: Armenia MoD

13:15, 12 May 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Hours after the OSCE monitoring in Martakert region, the Azerbaijani
side violated the ceasefire at tahe line of contact, leaving an
Armenian soldier killed. This testifies to the fact that the
Azerbaijan ignores the mediating efforts targeted at the settlement of
the Karabakh issue, Armenia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The Azerbaijani side used artillery weapons of different calibers,
mortars and grenade launchers as it violated the agreement on
ceasefire starting from 19:30, May 11.

According to the NKR Defense Ministry, private of the NKR Defense Army
Armen Hrayr Martirosyan, born in 1996, was killed in Azeri firing in
the northern direction of the line of contact at about 20:00, the
Ministry said.

Investigation into the details of the case is under way.

The activeness of the rival was pressured as a result of retaliatory
measures taken by the front divisions of the NKR Defense Army.

The fact that the incident occurred hours after the OSCE monitoring in
Martakert region comes to prove the urgency of implementation of
investigation mechanisms, the Armenian Defense Ministry said.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.armradio.am_en_2016_05_12_azerbaijan-2Dviolates-2Dthe-2Dceasefire-2Dhours-2Dafter-2Dosce-2Dmonitoring-2Darmenia-2Dmod_&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=JO0id8nekHk7BN5wAPwyuub7JM9PKkq8-S-VFzP3Vgw&s=kiyc9wbTquClVY5qr1kWm-iktBBhFecuGLIyS7tgjmk&e=

[Yervant1]

Dirty Bomb Row: References to Armenia’s ‘nuke capability’ spark
hysteria in Azerbaijan

By GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN -

May 12, 2016

Photo: silentcrownews.com/wordpress/

Allegations about Armenia’s “nuclear capabilities” and even possession
of some kind of an “A-bomb”, which have been strongly denied at the
state level in Yerevan, have recently led to a real anti-Armenian
hysteria in Azerbaijan where at different levels calls have been made
for the international community to deal with the matter.

The speculation about the possibility of Armenia having nuclear
capabilities was fueled after recent remarks by opposition MP Hrant
Bagratyan, who, rather out of the blue, said at a press conference in
Yerevan late last month that Armenia was capable of creating a nuclear
weapon.

“Armenia must create a nuclear weapon. Enough is enough, we must be
able to defend ourselves,” Bagratyan stated later in parliament,
giving vent to his emotions over the four-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh
in early April in which nearly a hundred Armenian soldiers were killed
repulsing Azerbaijan’s aggression.

The heavy casualties sparked debate in Armenia about delayed arms
deliveries from Russia and generally about the country’s reliance on
outsiders for its security.

Unlike its regional neighbors, including Azerbaijan, Armenia has a
nuclear power plant which was still built during the Soviet times to
ensure sufficient electricity supply for the South Caucasus republic
lacking vast energy resources.

Since the late 1970s when the Metsamor station was commissioned
Armenia, in fact, has had a “peaceful nuclear” industry, which,
however, has heavily relied on nuclear fuel supplies from Russia.

The presence of the nuclear station in Armenian soil has frequently
been used by Azerbaijan and Turkey as an argument in favor of
Armenia’s posing a “nuclear” threat to the region.

Successive governments in Yerevan, however, have dismissed the
allegations, strongly committing themselves to the high safety
standards of nuclear energy use and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Armenia has also been closely cooperating with the International
Atomic Energy Agency on the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant issues.

Still, claims like those made recently by 1992-1994 Karabakh war hero
Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan, also known as Komandos, have stoked more fears
in rival Azerbaijan.

A few days before the April 2-5 outburst of violence in
Nagorno-Karabakh, the retired major-general and former deputy defense
minister said in an interview with Lragir.am that Armenia had some
kind of a “secret weapon” that it would use “at the difficult moment”,
leading to speculations in Azerbaijani media about Yerevan’s planning
to use a so-called “dirty bomb”, a speculative radiological weapon
that combines radioactive material with conventional explosives.

And while there is no evidence whatsoever that would substantiate the
“nuclear” claims of Ter-Tadevosyan and others, such statements have
triggered a serious debate in Azerbaijan on whether Armenia’s
scientific and industrial potential was enough to create a nuclear
weapon.

Azerbaijan has even taken its “concerns” to international bodies,
including the European Union. According to reports in Russian media,
earlier this week, an official representative of EU diplomacy said the
allegations made in Armenia needed to be “checked”.

It is remarkable that Bagratyan’s statement on Armenia’s nuclear
capabilities was not disproved by lawmaker Armen Rustamyan, a
representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation which
currently has an agreement on political cooperation with the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rustamyan found it “quite
possible” that Armenia may have had an A-bomb for a long time.

“In any case we were part of a nuclear superpower [the Soviet Union].
It is not known how it [its nuclear weapons] was distributed. There
are quite a few dark stories on this account,” said Rustamyan, adding
that “before raising a noise about it, Azerbaijan should first think
about its own over-armament and its dangers.” The Armenian lawmaker
also urged the international community to curb Turkey’s Azerbaijan’s
aggressive actions.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, who is a spokesman for
the RPA, however, has dismissed all “nuclear” speculations, stressing
that Armenia is using its nuclear energy only for peaceful purposes,
for generating electricity, and that Armenian authorities have no
intentions of developing nuclear weapons.

“No threat emanates from Armenia as we are a peace-loving nation. If
someone is trying to find threats in the region, then they should look
at Turkey and Azerbaijan and ISIS in the south,” he said on Wednesday,
describing Bagratyan’s words as “a lawmaker’s personal opinion”.

Political analyst Sergey Minasyan, who is deputy head of the
Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute, believes that the statements of
Bagratyan are not appropriate at this moment.

“There is an issue of political commentary and political
responsibility. I don’t think that a situation that turns a country
into a target of different allegations is suitable [for Armenia]. On
the other hand, it is a free society and everyone is entitled to
freedom of speech,” said Minasyan, adding that the Azerbaijani side
will try to use in its own favor “every slip of the tongue”, every
statement of the Armenian side that could be interpreted in an
ambiguous way.

It is remarkable that during the past few days Azerbaijani media have
been reporting allegations about the use by Armenians of white
phosphorus munitions. They claim citing military officials that an
unexploded projectile filled with this chemical substance was found in
the Terter district of Azerbaijan near Karabakh. The Armenian side,
however, has categorically denied using any WP stuff.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.armenianow.com_en_karabakh_2016_05_12_armenia-2Dkarabakh-2Dazerbaijan-2Dnuclear-2Dhysteria-2Ddirty-2Dbomb_3002_&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=NzOok-v6hNij2LLItWcrqMN7jxLdV2hvgTMQGXgUJT4&s=e7mdfs7fxieVTMQIoo0JB_OFRCQTnzrX1cRgy9sDpDE&e=

[Yervant1]

PACE co-rapporteurs to present facts of beheading of Armenian soldiers
to CoE Human Rights Commissioner

19:28, 12 May 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received today PACE Monitoring
Committee co-rapporteurs Alan Meale and Giuseppe Galati.

The Prime Minister welcomed the co-rapporteurs’ visit to Armenia,
attached importance to the cooperation with the Monitoring Committee
and expressed gratitude for the technical assistance to our country.

Hovik Abrahamyan presented details from the discussions on the
Electoral Code and their results. He noted that a number of proposals
of the opposition forces and the civil society have been taken into
consideration.

Speaking about the fight against corruption, Hovik Abrahamyan noted
that an anti-corruption council has been established, the strategy and
action plan has been approved. He stressed that there is a political
will to take concrete steps to fight corruption.

Referring to the four-day April war, the Prime Minister noted that the
large-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against the peaceful population
of Nagorno Karabakh, including children and elderly people,
accompanied by gross violations of the international commitments in
the field of human and humanitarian rights, should be widely
discussed, and condemned by the international community.

The Prime Minister stressed that the position of the Armenian side is
clear: the Karabakh issue should be solved through peaceful
negotiations within the framework of the co-chairmanship of the OSCE
Minsk Group.

The co-rapporteurs expressed their support to Armenian partners in the
processes of democratic development in the country and attached
importance to the steps towards adoption of the Electoral Code.

Alan Meale and Giuseppe Galati expressed their condolences over the
lives lost in the war and voiced their support for the OSCE Minsk
Group efforts.

The co-rapporteurs said they are going to present the facts of killing
and decapitation of Defense Army soldiers to the Council of Europe
Commissioner for Human Rights.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.armradio.am_en_2016_05_12_pace-2Dco-2Drapporteurs-2Dto-2Dpresent-2Dfacts-2Dof-2Dbeheading-2Dof-2Darmenian-2Dsoldiers-2Dto-2Dcoe-2Dhuman-2Drights-2Dcommissioner_&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=PJqSewmv2IIrTfFNoXXGO_btoCYEWFjKp37i0nwc-k0&s=YTakXhD26KrKyiVdCRuZe_WwWMJ6z3MLPHOEdHAfATc&e=

[Yervant1]

First President of Armenia says Azerbaijan’s aggression in April is
explained by international community’s parity approach

18:49, 12 May, 2016

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. First President of the Republic of
Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan held a meeting with the US Ambassador to
Armenia Richard Mills on May 12 at the initiative of the latter,
Armenian National Congress (ANC) informed “Armenpress”.

Ambassador Mills mentioned that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs make
efforts to set a constructive dialogue between the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan. He stated that the Co-chairs have mentioned
numerous times that in order to achieve peace and stability in the
region, all the parties must demonstrate political will to take such
decisions that will create an environment of trust. “It is not easy to
take such decisions, but it is encouraging that the Armenian
authorities has assumed commitment for negotiated conflict settlement
and we hope it will continue the same way”, Ambassador Mills said.

Agreeing with the US Ambassador, Levon Ter-Petrosyan underscored the
importance of creating monitoring mechanisms on Karabakh-Azerbaijan
contact line parallel to the resumption of negotiations. He explained
this with the fact that the parity approach adopted by the
international community during the previous ceasefire violations not
only did not help to exclude new violations, but indirectly encouraged
Azerbaijan to unleash the large-scale April provocation, that claimed
numerous lives from both sides. The creation of the monitoring
mechanisms will give an opportunity to point out the violator in each
circumstance, which can be a restraining factor.


https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__armenpress.am_eng_news_847062_first-2Dpresident-2Dof-2Darmenia-2Dsays-2Dazerbaijan-25E2-2580-2599s-2Daggression-2Din-2Dapril-2Dis-2Dexplained-2Dby-2Dinternational-2Dcommunity-25E2-2580-2599s.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=HQ5RcAj3E0wJjprySEaiUA5ZmtKJRlPzOcNvKSPNpjA&s=8HeEgG3XHSy3SpMeZ-1fYQWuqILVQN4osNcLvekln4Q&e=

[Yervant1]

Public polls in Russia reveal overwhelming majority support Armenians

17:26, 12 May, 2016

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Russian Public Opinion Research Center
has conducted a survey with 1600 people in 130 communities. 35% of the
respondents said that recognition of Nagorno Karabakh’s independence
is the best solution for the conflict, 9% said that it should be
incorporated into Armenia, and 6% mentioned that it should be
incorporated into Azerbaijan.

“Armenpress” reports, citing “Izvestia”, 72% of the respondents told
that they are informed about the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. The
figure was 45% during the polls in 2014.

For 26% of the respondents NKR is an independent state, 11% considers
it as part of Azerbaijan, and 13% consider it as part of Armenia. 46%
could not answer the question about territorial belonging of Nagorno
Karabakh.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__armenpress.am_eng_news_847045_public-2Dpolls-2Din-2Drussia-2Dreveal-2Doverwhelming-2Dmajority-2Dsupport-2Darmenians.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=olXFc9_ns4_UYXN92tgvC9IbRb51yrfoggtkGjg1sM0&s=xXvMmkDiZ0cJWQxnHxK2bSChEW1V4-8OryIhsUwOToE&e=

[Yervant1]

Karabakh reports heavy shelling from Azeri side all along the line of contact

21:48, 13 May 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Azerbaijani side started heavy shelling of the NKR Defense Army
positions all along the line of contact from 17:00 today, the NKR
Defense Ministry reports.

More intensive firing was reported in the northeastern (Martakert) and
northern (Talish) directions of the line of contact. The rival fired
116 shells from 82 mm mortars.

“The Azerbaijani side rushed to lay the blame for destabilizing the
situation at the line of contact on the Karabakh side, but this does
not correspond to reality,” the Ministry said.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense mostly remain committed to the
agreement on ceasefire and resort to response actions only in case of
extreme necessity targeting the firing ranges of the rival.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.armradio.am_en_2016_05_13_karabakh-2Dreports-2Dheavy-2Dshelling-2Dfrom-2Dazeri-2Dside-2Dall-2Dalong-2Dthe-2Dline-2Dof-2Dcontact_&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=v9ASQ9buOdV6egavU69B1W1J13EIBWc9GAN3sgFvVZE&s=h3wg7BFeeLBJEGIDe3UFDdY0Vcp8NgdEoR090o98KhY&e=

[Yervant1]

Armenia Ups the Stakes in the Caucasus, Prepares Bill to Recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh

Yerevan has always backed Karabakh's independence but has always
stopped short of formally recognizing it

Areg Galstyan
(The National Interest)
13/5/16

Originally appeared at The National Interest

The Armenian government has approved a bill recognizing
Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence, sending it to the parliament. This
decision has raised concerns among leading international and regional
powers. Azerbaijani state media suggested that the recognition of
Karabakh’s independence would lead to the resumption of large-scale
hostilities. In turn, Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the resolution of the
Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict must be found through negotiations
within the OSCE Minsk Group. Meanwhile, the Armenian side has
announced that it is not afraid to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR), and that it is determined to take this step under
certain circumstances. Thus, Yerevan’s officials are pushing a
diplomatic ultimatum on the international community for the first time
in the last twenty years, painting its own red line for the OSCE Minsk
Group.

Many Armenian politicians and experts say that recent clashes along
the Karabakh-Azerbaijani line of contact demonstrated the one-sided
and passive attitude of the permanent cochairs of the Minsk
Group—France, Russia and the United States. For a long time, Yerevan
turned a blind eye to the passivity of the intermediaries, and made
successive statements of its commitment to the peaceful resolution of
the conflict within the Minsk Group. Today, the situation has changed.
Yerevan is dissatisfied with the fact that the international community
has not given a clear political assessment regarding Azerbaijan’s
aggression, preferring instead to appeal carefully to both sides. The
Armenian side believes that Baku regards such an approach as a green
light for further escalation. In such a situation, Yerevan needs to
take more decisive steps. That is strongly demanded by Armenian
society and influential organizations in the diaspora. President Serzh
Sargsyan understands that showing weakness at this stage may lead to
unpredictable consequences, both for the country and for the ruling
regime.

The logic of the Armenian public stems from the fact that any bad head
of state can be forgiven for economic or social problems if the leader
firmly defends the country’s national interests in the international
arena. In the current situation, any territorial concessions will be
perceived as a national betrayal that will lead to the inevitable fall
of the existing regime. In the case of Azerbaijan, the situation is
different. For President Ilham Aliyev’s clan, Karabakh has an
exclusively political value that allows them to maintain the internal
legitimacy of their regime. On various international platforms, Ilham
Aliyev has always stressed that nobody in the world recognizes the
independence of Karabakh, including Armenia itself. In fact, for Baku
it is not the territory of Karabakh that matters, but the legal
opportunity to call it a part of Azerbaijan with the support of the
international community. Such a situation would suit the Armenian side
de facto, and satisfy the Azerbaijani side de jure. However, some
adjustments have been made since the beginning of April.

Recognition of the NKR at the local level in the United States began
in 2012. As of today, seven U.S. states—Maine, Rhode Island,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, California, Georgia and Hawaii—have adopted
resolutions “in support of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic.” On one hand, foreign-policy resolutions of individual
states are advisory in nature, and do not reflect the official
position of the United States. On the other hand, the adoption of
these acts could not be possible without the consent of official
Washington. For example, the White House has long blocked all of the
Armenian lobby’s repeated attempts to hold a resolution on Karabakh
recognition in California, out of fear of worsening relations with
Baku. Thus, the United States officially supported the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan, but neither did it hinder the development of
local recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s independence.

The Azerbaijani authorities, using their lobbyists in different
states, have also tried to carry out a resolution on “support for
territorial integrity,” to devalue the importance of pro-Karabakh
resolutions. However, all the pro-Azerbaijani lobby’s attempts turned
out to be failures, except for a resolution on strengthening
cooperation with Azerbaijan, which was adopted by Arizona. These
failures are now accompanied by an economy decline, due to the fall in
oil prices and the mass arrests of journalists and political opponents
of President Aliyev. The United States criticizes the human rights
situation, and the most significant figures of the world’s leading
powers declined attendance at the European Games in Baku.

Facing such difficult conditions in domestic and foreign policy,
Aliyev should be more active on the Karabakh front, proving his
viability and decisive nature. Provoking aggression on the line of
contact with the Nagorno-Karabakh army, Aliyev’s regime receives
domestic dividends while checking reactions from the Minsk Group and
Armenia’s allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), especially Russia.

Once again, Azerbaijan has managed to solve a number of political
objectives. The level of trust in President Aliyev increased
substantially. At the same time, Armenia has not received the support
it expected from its partners and allies in the Collective Security
Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Moreover,
the United States and France have not applied any political sanctions
to Baku.

Of course, in such a situation, the Armenian side has to act more
decisively. Its allies in the CSTO and EEU hinted that their lack of
support to Yerevan was due to the fact that Karabakh is not a part of
Armenia. This logic is also guided by the fact that Moscow supplies
Azerbaijan with modern offensive weapons worth up to four billion
dollars. Russian politicians and experts believe that they fully kept
their promise, as Russian weapons were not used directly against the
Republic of Armenia.

Therefore, Yerevan has no choice but to recognize Karabakh’s
independence, with its ensuing inclusion into Armenia. Under these
circumstances, any future war will be held not on the territory of
Karabakh, but in Armenia itself. What will Russia choose to do in that
situation? It will have to intervene, or else lose its crucial and
sole ally in the Caucasus. Yerevan did not take such drastic steps
before, in order to avoid putting its allies and partners in an
unpleasant situation, and still hoping for support in times of crisis.
Armenia’s recognition of Karabakh catches the two other cochairs of
the Minsk Group, the United States and France, by surprise. Washington
and Paris will have to become more actively engaged in this process,
taking into consideration the powerful, rich and well-organized
Armenian lobby.

Thus, Yerevan, in recognizing Karabakh, demands that Russia, the
United States and France be more active in the negotiating format,
giving objective political assessments in certain situations and
applying appropriate sanctions for failing to comply with the existing
conditions.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__russia-2Dinsider.com_en_armenia-2Dups-2Dstakes-2Dcaucasus-2Dprepares-2Dbill-2Drecognize-2Dnagorno-2Dkarabakh_ri14321&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=6qJCrO7lI5N2ysk7r7smTrm53rp9gXsWgXZf8E8_Ew8&s=A_Nyf4jWyJS2PDYrA-xu-37A-0MFydJojHkArBwz4vM&e=

[Yervant1]

Russia political analyst: Escalation is inevitable in absence of
mediators’ pressure on Baku

22:02, 13.05.2016

The new outburst of violence in the zone of Karabakh conflict will
definitely happen - this is inevitable, Russian political analyst
Alexander Skakov told Armenian News –NEWS.am.

In his words, the escalation is inevitable, since the factors
contributing to the escalation haven’t been removed. “And the peace
process hasn’t been resumed: it actually doesn’t exist. Any escalation
is definitely inevitable unless there is an actual peace process on
the conflict settlement and unless the mediators put pressure first of
all on Azerbaijan,” Skakov stressed, adding that he wouldn’t link the
possible escalation with hosting Formula One in Baku.

British journalist and analyst Thomas de Waal earlier expressed an
opinion that in case progress is not achieved in Karabakh conflict,
the military actions will most probably start after the end of
Azerbaijan’s much desired Formula One in Baku by the end of June.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__news.am_eng_news_327054.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=Qa2fFUVKqgPU5IjoqrauTNeeh0Q2KPilQnx2HfLIBZ0&s=zg9tG5EJGRq6V4KWIOeNygoYt_TEd4ePR8cFE9xILIU&e=

[Yervant1]

Haykakan Zhamanak: France committed to locating radars along Karabakh frontline?

11:13 • 14.05.16

The paper says it has learned from diplomatic sources that France has
proposed its role in initiating ceasefire violation investigations
along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact.

During internal negotiations held recently, the country reportedly
expressed its commitment to ensure the supply of radars capable of
chasing fire direction. The paper claims that France has also called
for sending to the frontline specialists who could in a way act also
as peacekeepers. In the meantime, it is reportedly proposed that the
specialists be from the OSCE co-chairing countries.

The paper says that Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on Friday
considered the plan for frontline investigation mechanisms also with
the head of the French Senate’s Committee on European Affairs. That,
according to the paper, is going to be a key issue also on the agenda
of the Armenian-Azerbaijan presidential meeting set to be held in
Vienna.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.tert.am_en_news_2016_05_14_hz_2019850&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=0ZKz8UEJBEPY5o8RKIO4nxWvzRUPJgKbzJI24VCfYjw&s=uMnfBpBYZDH8rNhS3ctxcLgb-BwcAHM69qcC9P-t1Ys&e=

[Yervant1]

Azerbaijani special squad lieutenant colonel eliminated in April had
been trained in USA

14:03, 14 May, 2016

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani special squad lieutenant
colonel Murad Mirzayev, 40, eliminated as a result of Armenian
crushing counterblow to large-scale Azerbaijani military aggression
against Nagorno Karabakh in early April, was the only Azerbaijani to
have passed Ranger special training in the USA, “Armenpress” reports
virtualaz.org news website informs.

It was also mentioned that Murad Mirzayev, receiving military
education in Turkey, served in the Turkish land forces as a battalion
commander in 1999, after which he served in Azerbaijan as a battalion
commander. From 2000 to April 2016, the day he was eliminated, he
served as the deputy commander and commander of Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry’s special squad.

The commander of Azerbaijani special squad was eliminated by Armenian
18-20 year old soldiers during the 4-day war in April.

According to some Azerbaijani sources, during those days the Armenian
conscripts in Nagorno Karabakh eliminated nearly a hundred of
Azerbaijani special squad soldiers.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__armenpress.am_eng_news_847243_azerbaijani-2Dspecial-2Dsquad-2Dlieutenant-2Dcolonel-2Deliminated-2Din-2Dapril-2Dhad-2Dbeen-2Dtrained-2Din-2Dusa.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=WD2bAmGZnJ3U7sDCPcwd6EEZEYLUCdwKWGJ3xkZgwHg&s=Xcaefxc9AoZQp8_HOoXKYO2xASq4jhXcDVd1Y6MOfZw&e=

[Yervant1]

Stratfor
May 14 2016


A Modest Proposal for Nagorno-Karabakh

Analysis

Sometimes resolution comes not from a single convention but in
installments. Such may be the case for Nagorno-Karabakh. The
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are set to meet with the foreign
ministers of Russia, the United States and France in Vienna on May 16.
While important, this is not the type of meeting expected to achieve
great accomplishments in the longer-term future of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As part of the peace negotiations held by
the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk
Group, the meeting will cater more toward addressing immediate
tactical concerns in Nagorno-Karabakh. For any meeting to lead to
notable outcomes in the grand scheme of the dispute in the region, it
would have had to include the most prominent of decision-makers, such
as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The purpose of the meeting is to reinforce the cease-fire regime that
followed April's fighting, the worst in decades in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The governments in Armenia and Azerbaijan have apparently slipped back
into a tense standoff, and neither side seems to be budging in the
peace process. However, pressure will likely come to bear at the
meeting for the adoption of a U.S. initiative to install special
equipment to register violations at the line of contact in Karabakh.
Long before the most recent outbreak of fighting, exchanges of
artillery and mortar fire between Azerbaijani forces and those from
Nagorno-Karabakh had been a regular occurrence at the line. Installing
the monitoring equipment not only would be a step toward avoiding a
resumption of intense fighting, but it would also discourage the
artillery duels.

Armenia and Karabakh have been open to the idea. Russia, too, has been
receptive, even suggesting that Germany, the current OSCE chair, be in
charge of installing the equipment. Azerbaijan, though, has flatly
rejected it. The country has reason to be more reluctant to the
concept; it is the only party at the table overtly involved in the
contact-line skirmishes. While Nagorno-Karabakh is heavily dependent
on Armenia for its disputed status, the forces on the contact line are
technically not Armenian. From this perspective, Azerbaijan sees the
monitoring system idea as an attempt by Armenia and its ally, Russia,
to impose upon it. Azerbaijan would, of course, prefer not to have a
system in place that puts more potential liability on it than on the
other parties in the conflict.

Moscow, on the other hand, with its overture to Germany and its
leadership in talks with both Armenia and Azerbaijan in the past
month, is looking increasingly conciliatory toward the West over the
disputed territory. Russia is possibly looking to somehow preserve the
role of the West in the process, while Moscow attempts to play grand
mediator among all sides. But any grand bargain facilitated by Moscow
would require extracting concessions from Azerbaijan while also
figuring out how to pacify Armenia into accepting a deal. Neither
prospect seems currently possible. So Moscow instead will likely try
to show the West that it can keep the peace, at least for now.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.stratfor.com_analysis_modest-2Dproposal-2Dnagorno-2Dkarabakh&d=DQIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=33-KK4-482hZKQ7xUtWFHVvaBQ5MruB57sNYsvDY-aU&s=JFV4XKskuYgQ0G0p3JjwubZSfZKrq4RYjEZrLrJNc5U&e=

[Yervant1]

Serviceman killed by sniper’s shot

00:47 | May 15,2016 | Politics


25-year-old serviceman Aram Vaghinak Ohanyan was killed by the
adversary’s sniper shot in one of the borderline positions in Vayk,
Vayots Dzor marz.

Spokesperson of Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan informs that
details will be presented later.

Earlier information was received on the accumulations of Azerbaijani
armed forces in Nakhijevan. To remind, on May 13 a reconnaissance
drone was downed near Yelpin community in Vayots Dzor marz.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__en.a1plus.am_1236378.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=zLJPSkI8BdKr9i8ShIjOKafZFNfmXpdrkxKSflBJRfc&s=HXWYig7QhqWbNr5fJZb8CFL5NkS5ePSvgIZxjRq7Lzg&e=

[Yervant1]

I do not expect anything meaningful to come out of this meeting. They will tolerate sultan aliyev as usual!

Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meeting in Vienna: Armenian side’s

positions stronger - MP

16:27 • 15.05.16

Consolidation of the ceasefire and discussion of the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs’ proposal for installation of devices along the Line of
Contact would be the best result of a probable Armenian-Azerbaijani
meeting in Vienna, through the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs’
mediation, Shirak Torosyan, a member of the Standing Committee on
Foreign Relations, Parliament of Armenia, told Tert.am.

As to expectations about a possible meetings between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev, in Vienna on
May 16, Mr Torosyan said:

“The best expectation about the meeting would be consolidation of the
ceasefire and discussion of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ proposal
for installation of devices to monitor the development of the conflict
on the frontline. Specifically, as a post-escalation meeting that
would reduce tension and pave the way for further negotiations – I
think this is the essence.”

The border tension has grown since the meeting was confirmed. As to
whether the same scenario is unfolding - growing border tension before
or after each meeting – Mr Torosyan said:

Yes, this is Ilham Aliyev’s style: escalating the situation prior to
each bilateral top-level meeting thus seeking to, first of all, strip
the meetings of their essential content and show they do not at all
care about international efforts to claim that the mediation does not
produce any results and have the peace process shifted unto a
different plane, particularly, the United Nations, where they will
feel freer. Of course, the will thus act in defiance of the co-chairs’
mission and rights and show disrespect for the co-chairs. But their
style has so far gone unpunished, and I think the co-chairing
countries should to take a harder line on Azerbaijan’s
counterproductive position. Demands on the guilty side should be more
specific, which, I think, would make Azerbaijan sober and take a more
constructive position on the negotiations. Yes, Azerbaijan can
continue behaving this way until the co-chairs call things by their
proper names.

As to whether a discussion of the settlement principles could pass
into the background and the meeting could facilitate withdrawal of
troops from the Line of Contact, Mr Torosyan said:

“Yes, I think the discussions will be focused on easing the border
tension. But I think the Armenian side could even take a harder line
and go back on certain points in the Madrid principle because
Azerbaijan keeps on rejecting them, seeking a military solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Their attempt failed. Therefore, we have
stronger positions prior to the meeting.”

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.tert.am_en_news_2016_05_15_shirak-2Dtorosyan_2020192&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=8hC6N3_MvS8qMIETv0IoLfc8qKusVEozGeQre4J3ArM&s=379JRnBzAt_r6u7N8CXeCmDNJYMjRh9skRTjCTp9jtc&e=

 

 

[Yervant1]

Opinion: Nation’s roots are healthy, while the head is to be thrown away (video)

14:58 | May 16,2016 | Politics

After the four-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh in early April, Armenia has
entered a phase of fluctuations and I think that military operations
will continue, management expert Harutyun Mesrobyan said on Monday.

He says in the given situation Armenia’s short-sighted steps can have
irreversible consequences.

“What did the four-day war show? It showed that nation’s roots are
healthy, while the head is useless and should be thrown away. It
showed that the real national elite failed to establish itself in
Armenia while an empty head will always lead a nation to tragedy,” Mr
Mesrobyan said.

The expert says more braggarts have emerged in Armenia in the recent
period. “We frequently hear pompous speeches and high-flown ideas. As
a rule, people saying these lofty thoughts and speaking of justice and
army are those who stand close to the trough and are grant eaters,” he
said.

Speaking about the planned meeting of the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, Harutyun Mesrobyan said he did not have great expectations
from the meeting.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__youtu.be_EDwA2V0aLfc&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=rxgPMw7yhLI87X5TlJHSu92artX9t_k53P1c79XXyxE&s=uMV2CL4uOQku-sylpzEZT2cdB70sAttRTvoQh5uaKwo&e=


https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__en.a1plus.am_1236439.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=rxgPMw7yhLI87X5TlJHSu92artX9t_k53P1c79XXyxE&s=VhbzPZOTxzj73Qzl94kQoxbdXye8qJfMJu6zr3vJZyM&e=

[Yervant1]

Consensus on Ceasefire in Karabakh Reached at Baku, Yerevan Talks

© REUTERS/ Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure
POLITICS
00:23 17.05.2016(updated 00:43 17.05.2016)

Understanding on the need to observe ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh
region was reached at the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

© SPUTNIK/ SERGEY GUNEEV
Meeting of Armenian, Azerbaijani Presidents Ends in Vienna
On Monday, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev met in Vienna to discuss the conflict in the Azerbaijani
breakaway region with a predominantly Armenian population. The meeting
was attended by the foreign ministers of the United States, Russia and
France.

"We have agreed to seek observance of the truce, ceasefire the way it
was agreed on in 1994, 1995, and [our] joint statement will reflect
this… [We] have agreed that the OSCE [Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe] will work on specific steps which would allow
to investigate incidents on the contact line," Lavrov said after the
meeting.

The top Russian diplomat added that he believed that the two sides
would be ready to work on compromises on the issue.

"We shall promote this in every way," Lavrov stressed.

Sergei Lavrov also said that Armenian President and Azerbaijan
President will agree in June on the date and place of their next
meeting where they will discuss characteristics for settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"In June, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will agree on the
time and the place of their next meeting where work will take place on
agreeing on parameters of the final resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem, taking in the account what has already been done within the
framework of the political process," Lavrov said after the meeting.

Read more:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sputniknews.com_politics_20160517_1039719294_yerevan-2Dbaku-2Dkarabakh-2Dmeeting.html-23ixzz48rItIF4H&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=4JUatfH7H1AEz3z7vCIHSrAG94HuJ0IWa2TUm3B2R2s&s=lN6cI76a5DSAC9gpq8Iu5-xusW-Ju81ucTZMjPoKIs0&e=